Why I Am Atheist

When I was younger, my mother told me that the whole 'God' thing was a myth. She said that if there was really a God we would have a better life because what did we do to deserve this? What did my grandfather and his father and his father do to deserve the life the got?

When I looked at her in confusion she told me a story. She said "I knew a nice vieja once, a nice old lady. She was kind and caring. She'd make tons of pupusas and bring us malta when we had a birthday, she'd cook us tamales when we didn't have lunch, she'd teach us the alphabet and our numbers. One day she became ill. She died after two years of not knowing what her illness was. The doctors didn't know, she didn't know, no one did. At first we thought it was a cough but as her cough grew into a flu she became weaker and weaker until finally she died. Now mija, people believe that God has a path for us all and that he loves us. But mija, if you think that's true then tell me why that poor vieja died? She prayed and went to church every day, even when she was sick. She was kind to everyone, even if they weren't to her. Why did she have to die, if God loved her so much? She was only fifty-two when she could have lived to see her seventieth birthday? When you have the answer, tell me, and that's when we will go to church."

We never did go to church.

Footnotes

Footnotes

This story is meant to answer a question I get asked loads. If you don't agree, then don't flame me about it because not having a religion is my personal opinion. Thank you.